Fatal Poughkeepsie fire appears to be 'tragic accident': chief

Four bodies were recovered from a Poughkeepsie building Monday morning after City of Poughkeepsie fire put out a "long, stubborn fire," said city chief Mark Johnson.
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61 Academy Street in the City of Poughkeepsie on December 4, 2018. A fire early on Monday severely damaged the property and claimed the lives of 4 inhabitants. (Photo: Patrick Oehler/Poughkeepsie Journal)Buy Photo

The City of Poughkeepsie fire that left four people dead appears to be "a tragic accident," said Fire Chief Mark Johnson.

Four bodies — three men and one woman — were recovered from a vacant three-story Academy Street building on Monday, the deadliest city fire since 2001, authorities said.

The victims all died of smoke inhalation, said Dutchess County Medical Examiner Dr. Dennis Chute. None of them have been positively identified.

Officials believe the people found inside the city-owned building were homeless, underscoring Poughkeepsie's problem with vacant properties and the dangers of those without a home squatting in such buildings.

"Our investigators have recovered evidence that gives us more of an indication" that the fire was a tragic accident, rather than "incendiary" or deliberately ignited, Johnson said. "We did find lighters and candle wax" in the first-floor bathroom, where the fire started.

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A view of the back side of 61 Academy Street in the City of Poughkeepsie on December 4, 2018. A fire early on Monday severely damaged the property and claimed the lives of 4 inhabitants. Patrick Oehler/Poughkeepsie Journal

The back door at 61 Academy Street in the City of Poughkeepsie on December 4, 2018. A fire early on Monday severely damaged the property and claimed the lives of 4 inhabitants. Patrick Oehler/Poughkeepsie Journal

A piece of burnt fabric hangs from the gutter of 61 Academy Street in the City of Poughkeepsie on December 4, 2018. A fire early on Monday severely damaged the property and claimed the lives of 4 inhabitants. Patrick Oehler/Poughkeepsie Journal

Debris rests on the roof of a porch at 61 Academy Street following a fire that damaged the property early Monday morning in the City of Poughkeepsie on December 3, 2018. Patrick Oehler/Poughkeepsie Journal

"Meanwhile, arriving firefighters found the front of the building secure with plywood, while the rear door was "locked with deadbolt that we had to breach," the chief added. "They were in there and locked themselves in for safety reasons."

And preliminary medical reports show "no indication that any of the four victims had any trauma" prior to the fire, Johnson said.

City firefighters responded to 61 Academy St. around 1:48 a.m. Monday for a reported structure fire. It took about three hours to get the fire under control.

The vacant building used to be a "hoarder's mansion," and there were "piles of combustible material everywhere," Johnson said.

The bodies were found while firefighters were overhauling the building. The first body was found on the second floor near the fire escape, the second body was found on the third floor in the attic area, and the third and fourth bodies were found on the first floor, Johnson said.

Anyone who might have information about the victims or fire is asked to contact city police at 845-451-4000 or the Dutchess County Medical Examiner's Office at 845-486-3414.